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Knuckles comes afer the two Sonic The Hedgehog movies, neither of which I’ve seen, but I’ve played the games enough times to get the idea what’s going on, but I figure the plot can’t exactly be The Usual Suspects.
We open with Knuckles (Idris Elba – Hijack) running in his usual parkour style for these games. He’s an echidna, whatever that is… okay, it’s a ‘spiny anteater’, even though the name makes it sound like a type of plant, not that I’m an expert on botany or Earth’s fellow creatures.
Cue a recap of the second film, where he was tricked into helping “Dr Moustache” escape, and take the master emerald, then settled their differences and got the emerald back. So, we get a summary of the plot within the space of a minute
Knuckles is tasked with training a new echidna warrior – enter Wade Whipple (Adam Pally – Dirty Grandpa), the everyman-type character, all leading to Patty Smyth’s The Warrior in the credits, which is a great track, although I was this years old when I realised she’s not the same as Patti Smith, who brought us another rock anthem, Because the Night.
So far, I’ve seen the first two of the six episodes, both of which are fairly sprightly at around 30 minutes apiece, with FBI-type baddies Agent Mason (Scott Mescudi – Don’t Look Up) and Agent Willoughby (Ellie Taylor – Netflix’s Cheat) trying to capture our hero. Will they incarcerate him forever, or will he strike a blow for Echidna rights?
I’ll catch the rest once the programme goes live and I can stream the Paramount+ app to my kitchen TV when making dinner, but there’s a number of amusing moments, such as Knuckles showing off his iron throne, designating him as ‘family champion’, challenging the rest of the family to beat him in a trial of combat; and Julian Barratt (Mindhorn) being hilarious as Wade’s ten-pin bowling friend, Jack Sinclair, although what happens in that scene isn’t exactly Wade’s fault, given that it’s a team sport. However, he’s gone almost as soon as he arrives, which is a waste. Bring him back!
Also, it’s amusing seeing Knuckles try to teach a labrador to have a ‘steely gaze’, because labradors are the best dog ever, to which my late dog Sue would attest, if she was still around.
So far, Knuckles is quite entertaining fun as an adult, and you can easily check your brain at the door before watching this, and kids will certainly enjoy it, for sure.
Now, once I’ve seen this, I’ll have to catch up on the two Sonic films, before Sonic The Hedgehog 3 comes to cinemas in December 2024.
Knuckles is not available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD, but is on Paramount+ from Saturday April 27th. Yes, USA is technically listed as the day before, but that’s due to timezones. Everywhere gets the programme at the same time.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 25-35 minutes per episode (6 episodes)
Release date: April 27th 2024
Studio: Paramount+
Format: 2.39:1
Series Directors: Carol Banker, Brandon Trost, Ged Wright, Jeff Fowler, Jorma Taccone
Producers: Neal H Moritz, Samantha Waite, Jeffrey Pinto-Lobo
Writers: John Whittington, Brian Schacter, James Madejski
Music: Tom Howe
Cast:
Knuckles: Idris Elba
Wade Whipple: Adam Pally
Maddie Wachowski: Tika Sumpter
Sonic: Ben Schwartz
Tails: Colleen O’Shaughnessey
Agent Mason: Scott Mescudi
Agent Willoughby: Ellie Taylor
“Pistol” Pete Whipple: Cary Elwes
Wanda Whipple: Edi Patterson
Wendy Whipple: Stockard Channing
Pachacamac: Christopher Lloyd
Orlock: Alfredo Tavares
Jack Sinclair: Julian Barratt
The Buyer: Rory McCann
Susie’s Mum: Jaimi Barbakoff
Susie: Alice Wren Tregonning
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.